Replaceable rubber shoe heel



Nov; 13, 1962 A. CORTINA REPLACEABLE RUBBER SHOE HEEL Filed May 12, 1961 INVENTOR.

ANTHONY COE IN ATTae/VEY-S.

United States atent fhce 3,063,168 REPLACEABLE RUBBER SHOE HEEL Anthony Cortina, 11 Perry St, New London, Conn. Filed May 12, 1961, Ser. No. 109,768 6 Claims. (Cl. 36-36) This invention relates to a novel replaceable rubber shoe heel.

The primary object of the invention is the provision of a more practical and efiicient detachable rubber shoe heelwhich enables the wearer of shoes to readily replace, or to interchange heels in cases of uneven heel wear, without having to go to the trouble, inconvenience, and expense of resorting to a shoemaker or shoe repair man.

Another object of the invention is the provision of a rubber shoe heel assembly of the character indicated above, which has the appearance and other characteristics of conventional rubber heels.

A further object of the invention is the provision of an assembly of the character indicated above, which involves a standard leather heel base, an attaching plate to be nailed to the heel base, and a rubber heel which is formed, in its upper surface, with circumferentially spaced locking slots adapted to receive L-shaped locking tongues, fixed to the attaching plate, upon rotation of the rubber heel relative to the attaching plate, in one direction, and a removable locking key which is engaged in slots in the forward edge of the heel and in a slot in the forward edge of the heel base, and prevents reverse rotation of the rubber heel relative to the heel base and the attaching plate.

A still further object of the invention is the provision of an assembly of the character indicated above, wherein the peripheral edge of the attaching plate is inset relative to the peripheral edges of the heel base and the rubber heel, and the rubber heel has an upstanding peripheral rib which reaches to the underside of the heel base and conceals the attaching plate.

Other important objects and advantageous features of the invention will be apparent from the following description and the accompanying drawings, wherein, for purposes of illustration only, a specific form of the invention is set forth in detail.

In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is an exploded perspective view of a heel assembly of the present invention;

FIGURE 2 is a bottom plan view of the locking key;

FIGURE 3 is a bottom plan view of the attaching plate and heel base;

FIGURE 4 is a top plan view of the rubber heel;

FIGURE 5 is a side elevation of the heel assembly;

FIGURE 6 is a transverse vertical section taken on the line 6-6 of FIGURE 5; and,

FIGURE 7 is an enlarged fragmentary vertical transverse section taken on the line 77 of FIGURE 6.

Referring in detail to the drawings, wherein like numerals designate like parts throughout the several views, the illustrated heel assembly 10 comprises a heel base 12 having a transverse front edge 14; an attaching plate 16 having an arcuate rear edge 18 and parallel side edges 20, which are inset relative to the related edges of the heel base 12, and a front edge 22 which is flush with the front edge 14 of the heel base; and a flexible and compressible rubber heel 24 which is of the same shape and dimensions as and is registered with the heel base 12.

The attaching plate 16 is a flat rigid plate of minimal thickness consistent with strength and rigidity, and can be of non-corrosive lightweight material, such as aluminum or plastic. The attaching plate is fixed to the underside of the heel base 12, in any suitable manner, as by means of nails 27 extending through holes (not shown) distributed around the attaching plate. A centered circle of locking tongues 28 is concentrically spaced from the arcuate rear edge 18 of the attaching plate and is rear wardly spaced from the transverse front edge 22 of the attaching plate. The attaching plate 16 is indented with a circular depression 29 which is within and is concentrically spaced from the locking tongues 28, which provides a downwardly extending boss 31.

The locking tongues 28 comprise perpendicular downwardly extending standards 30, which are disposed diametrically relative to the circle of locking tongues, and the standards 30 terminate, at their lower ends in horizontal right-angular feet 3 2, which are slightly larger than the standards, and which extend in the same circumferential direction.

The front edge 22 of the attaching plate 16 is formed with a pair of rearwardly extending parallel slots 34 which are located near to and are equally spaced from the side edges 20 of the attaching plate. The laterally outward sides 36 of the slots 34 are flush with the ends 38 of a transversely elongated recess 40 formed in the underside and in the front edge 14 of the heel base 12, the slots 34 and the recess 40 being provided to receive portions of a locking key which is hereinafter described.

The rubber heel 24 has an 'arcuate rear edge 42, parallel side edges 44, a straight transverse front edge 46, and a fiat upper surface 48 which is parallel to the bottom surface 50 of the heel. An upstanding attaching plate concealing rib 52 rises from the upper surface of the heel and extends along the rear edge 42 and the side edges 44, and terminates at the front edge 46. The rib 5-2 can be triangular in cross section, and have an upwardly and laterally outwardly faced upper surface 54, which, at its elevated outer end, bears against the underside of the heel base 12, around the rear and side edges of the attaching plate 16, when the rubber heel is in place. The upper surface 48 of the rubber heel 24 is formed with a centered shallow circular socket 36, which is concentrically spaced from the rear edge of the heel and from its front edge, and is adapted to conformably receive the circular boss 31 of the attaching plate 16.

The upper surface 48- of the rubber heel 24 is indicated by a centered circle of spaced arcuate circumferential slots 56, which is concentrically spaced around the circular socket 33. The locking slots 56 are herein shown as being five in number, to receive a corresponding number of locking tongues 28. The locking slots 56 comprise arcuate circumferentially extending rectangular cross section recesses 58, having flat radial closed ends 60, the other ends of the recesses opening to shallow fiat horizontal circumferentially extending sockets 62, which are spaced downwardly from the upper surface 48 of the heel 24, and are at the bottom of the recesses 58, as shown in FIGURE 7.

The front edge 46 of the heel 24 is formed with a pair of rearwardly extending locking key receiving slots 68 which are L-shaped and comprise vertical arms 70, which open to the top of the heel and which are located to register with the front edge slots 34 of the attaching plate 16, and horizontal arms 72 which extend laterally outwardly from the lower ends of the vertical arms 70.

A locking key 74 is provided for locking the rubber heel 2.4 to the attaching plate 16 and the heel base 12, which serves to preclude rotation of the rubber heel 24, relative to the attaching plate and the heel base. The key 74 comprises a transversely elongated flat bar 76 which has downwardly offset longitudinally outwardly extending L-shaped portions, on its ends, which include relatively short perpendicular standards 78 and relatively long horizontal feet 80.

The locking key 74 is put into place with its bar 76 engaged in the front edge recess 40 of the heel base 12,

above the attaching plate, with the standards 78 engaged in the front edge slots 34 of the attaching plate 16, and in the vertical arms 70 of the front edge slots 68 of the rubber heel 24, and the horizontal feet 80 engaged in the horizontal arms 72 of the slots 68. For frictionally holding the locking key 74 in place, one side of the vertical arms 70 of the slots 68, at the forward ends thereof, have thereon triangular, laterally inwardly extending retaining lugs 82, which define restricted necks 84, at the forward ends of the slot arms 70, through which the standards 78 of the locking key must be forced to gain entrance to the slots 68, and which thereafter hold the locking key 74 in place, to the extent that a suitable prising implement is required to withdraw the locking key out of the heel slots 68.

Although there has been shown and described herein a preferred form of the invention, it is to be understood that the invention is not necessarily confined thereto, and that any change or changes in the structure of and in the relative arrangements of components thereof are contemplated as being within the scope of the invention as defined by the claims appended hereto.

What is claimed is:

1. A shoe heel assembly comprising a heel base, an attaching plate fixed to the underside of the heel base, a centered ring of circumferentially spaced L-shaped locking tongues on and extending downwardly from the attaching plate, and a heel having its upper surface bearing against the underside of the attaching plate, said heel having a correspondingly centered ring of the same diameter of correspondingly circumferentially spaced locking slots opening to its upper surface, said locking tongues being rotatably engaged in the locking slots securely locking said heel in said assembly, and a second key-like locking means securing said heel with said tongues and slots in rotatably engaged position against reverse rotational disengaging movement.

2. The assembly as defined in claim 1, said heel having an upstanding rib on the upper surface extending along pending circular body and guide said locking tongues and r slots into rotary locking engagement.

4. The shoe heel assembly as defined in claim 1, both the heel base and heel having substantially aligned front edges, a transverse elongated recess in the front edge of the heel base opening to its underside, laterally spaced L- shaped locking key slots formed in the front edges of the heel and attaching plate, said slots having vertical portions opening through the attaching plate to its upper surface and oppositely lateral slot portions extending from the lower ends of the said vertical portions, and a removable locking key comprising an elongated bar portion engaged in the said heel base recess, said bar portion having dependent L-shaped elements on its opposite ends comprising standards engaged in the vertical portions of the said key slots and horizontal lateral portions fixed to and extending from the lower ends of said standards engaged in the lateral extending portions of the said key slots.

5. A shoe heel assembly comprising a heel base, an attaching plate fixed to the underside of said base, a ring of circumferentially spaced substantially L-shaped locking tongues extending downwardly from said plate, each said locking tongue comprising a vertical standard having a horizontal foot on its lower end extending circumferentially of said ring, a heel rotatably locked in said assembly with its upper surface bearing against the underside of said plate, said heel having a corresponding ring of circumferentially spaced locking slots opening to its upper surface, each slot correspondingly spaced and extending circumferentially, and sized to receive, rotationally engage and lock each L-shaped locking tongue, whereby the heel is rotatively secured to said assembly.

6. The shoe heel assembly as defined in claim 5 having a rotary guide and centering means concentric with and disposed within said ring of locking tongues and slots of the said attaching plate and heel, said guide means comprising a circular body extending downward from said plate and a mating circular depression within the upper portion of said heel, dimensioned and centered to receive said circular body and guide said tongues and slots in rotary locking engagement.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,172,671 Chapman Feb. 22, l9l6 1,544,587 Misura July 7, 1925 1,550,516 Moineaux Aug. 18, 1925 1,820,539 Lewis Aug. 25, 1931 1,844,182 Rubin Feb. 9, 1932 1,970,254 Sullivan Aug. 14, 1934 2,027,482 Johnson Jan. 14, 1936 2,031,511 Sullivan Feb. 18, 1936 2,043,177 Ke Koni June 2, 1936 2,090,999 Harper Aug. 24, 1937 2,206,898 Hustad July 9, 1940 

